Tajikistan plans to tighten penalties for pedestrians

The Parliament of Tajikistan may introduce stricter penalties for pedestrians who violate traffic rules.

Photo: Internet

As reported by the press service of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower house of Parliament) of Tajikistan, a draft amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which provides for tougher penalties for violations of traffic rules by pedestrians, was reviewed on October 11 at the Council of the lower house. It is reported that the bill was submitted to Parliament by the General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan.

“Analysis shows that a certain number of traffic accidents occur due to pedestrians’ non-compliance with traffic rules, especially when crossing in places not designated for this purpose,” the statement said.

It should be noted that residents and guests of Dushanbe do not follow traffic safety rules and do not use pedestrian crossings.

“In 2020, 183,132 violations of traffic rules were registered in the city of Dushanbe, of which 35,926 were committed by pedestrians,” the statement said.

The authors of the bill believe that administrative penalties, including warnings and small fines for such violations, do not improve the situation regarding pedestrians’ compliance with traffic rules, and that penalties should be stricter.

The draft law also provides for administrative fines for damaging lawns, green spaces, or flowerbeds adjacent to roads, as well as parks.

Previously, the country’s existing legislation also provided for penalties for pedestrians who violated traffic rules; however, due to non-compliance with these rules, the General Prosecutor’s Office intends to increase fines. It is unknown whether the members of Parliament will agree with this.